Krista's Journey Across Time
by LovelyKouga
Summary: InuYashaxKagome, they're also the main characters. Follow my OC Krista in her adventure. Despite not being very popular amoung the Inu gang, one must learn that to be accepted you must be willing to sacrifice everything in the name of friendship.
1. Chapter 1

Fan fiction, by Krista McGrath

Fan fiction, by Krista McGrath.

Chapter 1

Kagome was trudging home after an unbearably long day of school, a vacant expression plastered across her rather pale face. Two large, circular bruises were positioned on her right upper arm, and were highly noticeable due to the tinge of loud black and blue colouring. She hadn't been paying much attention in Physical Education as her thoughts had been wandering elsewhere, and she had been hit not once but twice on her arm with heavy dodge balls. They had given her such a fright that she had shouted "InuYasha!" in a pleading, desperate sort of voice, which thoroughly embarrassed her. A new girl called Krista had been the one who had thrown them, and Kagome had seen she was trying hard not to laugh. She feared her friends Ayumi, Eri and Yuka might actually believe Grandpa's excuse of her having Dissociative fugue if she kept her antics up. Houjo somehow found out off Grandpa, and had immediately presented her with a kind of therapeutic headscarf that he was certain would help her concentrate better.  
'It's no wonder they will all believe Gramps, I mean come on, I'm a wreck!' she thought, as she passed by a shop window. She observed her reflection critically, and she groaned at what she saw.  
Her raven coloured hair that was usually so bouncy and full of health cascaded in thick, bunchy tendrils down her back. Relatively fresh scratches were present on her arms, legs, face and hands, and her eyes were heavy from lack of sleep.  
All in all, she did not look herself, or in very good health. Even her school uniform that she wore with such pride was rumpled and torn in places, as though she had worn nothing else for quite some time.  
"I look like death warmed up…" she said quietly, turning away from the window and continuing on her way home.  
Kagome yawned widely as she dragged her feet along the pavement, and a passer-by noted that each step she took appeared cost her great effort. The elderly man shook his head slightly as he passed her, "Stupid kids, when will they ever learn to take care of their bodies?" he muttered to himself, craning his neck over his shoulder to watch her pass by.  
She sighed miserably, and tightened her grip on her large schoolbag that hung over her left shoulder, as her right arm was causing her too much pain to share much of the burden.  
'Boy, has it EVER been a bad day. First day back in my time for a week, and already I have tons of homework!' She mused, rounding a corner as she thought this. Kagome had been in the Era of Feudal Japan for longer than usual, and had spent many days and nights searching for jewel shards. It wasn't easy, when one was accompanied by a moody half dog-demon, a lecherous monk, and usually followed by one or two groups of demons that would stop at nothing to see you dead.  
Kagome had almost arrived home, and her spirits lightened when she thought of her warm, comfy bed and bowl of hot food that her mother would have surely prepared for her. Kagome's mouth watered at the thought of her mother's famous oden. She was so happy, she started humming a little tune that sounded oddly like; 'How much is that doggy, in the window?' as she passed through her family shrine gates.

"Hey, mum! I'm ho- WHAT THE?!" Kagome shrieked, coming to a standstill in her family's dining room. There, sitting right in the middle of the table was Inu Yasha, the half dog-demon. He had tucked his arms into the sleeves of his kimono, and one of his legs was draped casually over the side of the large wooden table. The other he had tucked beneath him. Dark amber eyes narrowed slightly at Kagome's tone of voice, and he moved himself forward on the table, which allowed him to slide off the edge and land expertly on the floor. Walking forwards a few steps, he came to a stop right in front of Kagome and leant forward slightly, arms still crossed close to his chest. Inu Yasha's face was now mere inches away from Kagome's. She flushed slightly at his nearness but didn't pull away, and he eyed her critically for some time.  
"Nice to see you too, you look like crap, by the way." He remarked, sniffing disdainfully. Kagome's mouth fell open in astonishment at his rudeness, and she returned his look scornfully. "Gee, thanks, you're a real Romeo." She said sourly, placing her hand on a stuck-out hip. "What are you doing here anyway? I've only been home for one day, and I'm tired."  
"Who's Romeo?" InuYasha growled, ignoring her little whine. A slightly jealous tone had noticeably crept into his voice, and his brow furrowed with anger. 'I'll tear him from head to foot if he's done anything to hurt Kagome!' He thought, clenching his right hand into a fist and raising it in front of his face.  
Kagome let out an exasperated sigh and let her hand drop from her hip, although she couldn't help feeling slightly flattered that he cared.  
"No one, no one…" She said faintly, seeming to survey her nails. "But you didn't answer my question. Why are you here?"  
"To come get you, of course! Why else would I be here?" He grunted, trying to calm himself down. Even if she wouldn't tell him right now who this 'Romeo' guy was, he planned to interrogate her about it later.  
"Miroku said he felt a strange demonic aura pass through the village today," he commented, setting himself down in what he thought was a small wicker chair. Kagome had to suppress a violent giggle when she thought of how funny Inu Yasha looked, as he hadn't realized he was sitting in Buuyo's sleeping basket. Inu Yasha continued, none the wiser about how hilarious he looked. "-And he suspected it was a demon. I figured it'd probably have a Jewel Shard, seeing as a demon that big would probably not be without one." He said, shrugging casually, and he proceeded to tell Kagome the rest.  
The demon himself, Miroku, Sango and Shippo had seen was around about eight meters tall, and it had two huge leathery wings that spanned almost double that. It was bird-like in appearance, although most unlike any bird they had ever seen before. It was bright orange in colour, breathed fire, and what was strangest of all was that it had a steady flow of human blood gushing from its eyes. It had been hovering over the Village the day after Kagome left, showering Inu Yasha and his friends with blood. The demon had announced that his name was Oetsu-Ketsueki and had attacked in a fierce rage, goring Sango in her right arm with its large clawed talons. Although Inu Yasha and Miroku had fought him for what seemed like hours, he appeared to regenerate any limb or loss of blood instantly. Oetsu-Ketsueki had launched himself into the sky, vanishing from view, declaring that he needed to devour more humans.  
Kagome's eyes widened more and more at Inu Yasha's recall of the gruesome tale, and she was silent for a time, merely thinking this through. How were they supposed to beat a demon that could disappear into thin air, and regenerate like that? It just didn't seem possible…unless…  
"You need me, to find the Jewel Shard it has." Kagome said thoughtfully, nodding her head. "And then we can beat 'im."

A tall girl of fifteen smiled at the handsome young man, and accepted the large bundle of brightly coloured tulips he had placed into her arms. She personally didn't like receiving flowers, but she reminded herself that these were not intended for her.  
"Cool, Kagome will love these flowers, Houjo!" she said brightly, a huge grin plastered across her face. 'But I'll bet she'd be even more pleased to learn that they are from you.' she thought privately, her dark green eyes scanning his face. She was glad that he didn't seem to notice, and she raised her free hand to brush a stray tendril of hair out of her face. She always wore her dark brown hair in a high ponytail, and had two loose sections of blonde hair hanging down on either side of her face, but they tended to annoy her a lot.  
Houjo smiled to himself, ignoring her discomfort and deciding to carry on the conversation. "Yes, I hope she does. But it's her health I'm worried about the most." He said quietly, his brow furrowing with worry. "She hasn't been herself lately, so inattentive and mysterious." Houjo was probably referring to the 'Dodge Ball Incident' that happened this morning in P.E, she knew. It HAD been rather funny, but she wasn't about to tell Kagome that. She hardly even knew the girl! All she knew was that Kagome tended to suffer from a lot of physical illnesses, and was away from school a lot. She felt immensely guilty for being the one to hurt her with the dodge balls, but she continued smiling, deciding to keep her thoughts to herself yet again.  
"You're right, she's been majorly weird today. I'd better go and see her, as a matter of fact." She waved heartily to Houjo as she swung her leg over her motorized scooter, A.K.A her 'SpeeDEMA'. She was still not used to wearing these strangely short skirts they wore here in Tokyo, but she figured if it was the fashion, not to mention the compulsory school uniform, who was she to argue?  
"Okay, let me know how she's going. Tell her the fragrance of the tulips is great for increasing nerve impulses!" He called, waving back. She placed the flowers carefully in the compartment under the seat, and covered them with her school jacket before closing the lid over it.  
"And Krista… Wear your helmet!" he yelled as she revved her scooter. Krista gave him the thumbs up and crammed the helmet on her head, flicking the dark visor down over her face. "Tootles!" she yelled back, over the roar of her scooter as she sped off down the (luckily) desolate street. Houjo stood still for a few minutes until the deafening roar of her scooter could no longer be heard, and he shook his head good-naturedly. "She's a regular 'speed demon', that one…" he said, and he turned to his own pushbike and prepared for his much slower ride home.

Meanwhile, Kagome rushed frantically about her room, stuffing clothes, medicines and all sorts of interesting food into her oversized yellow backpack. Inu Yasha was perched nervously on the edge of her comfy bed, not even bothering to help, as he figured he would just get in the way. She was moving so fast that even Inu Yasha was becoming slightly dizzy just watching her.  
She was talking almost as fast as she was moving as she threw various objects over her shoulder, which landed in a relatively neat pile next to the dog demon.  
"..Oh, and I'll have to tell grandpa not to make up a lame illness again, it really ticks me off, ya know?" Inu Yasha practically had to dive to catch the heavy items that had suddenly been thrown with more force than moments before.  
"…And I'll have to tell Souta to keep his pesky friends outta my room! They sure made a mess last time…should buy a lock or something."  
Inu Yasha now had to dodge even more random objects, as Kagome was getting more furious with her temper and throwing force. These included a school shoe, a first aid kit and an empty goldfish bowl.  
"Geeze, Kagome! Watch it! What are you so mad about anyways, huh?" He asked, throwing her a rather sceptical look. She sighed and lowered her hand, having been in the middle of hurling a rather lethal-looking tennis racquet in his direction. He eyed it nervously but said no more.  
"What am I mad about? WHAT AM I MAD ABOUT?!" She yelled across the room. He flinched and scrambled across the bed, his eyes wide and concerned. 'Yes, that's what I'd like to know.' He thought.  
"I'll tell you what I'm mad about," she continued, in a dangerously quiet voice. "You come back to my era, after I've only had one days rest. We were away for two weeks, Inu Yasha. Two weeks. Two weeks of running, fighting, worrying and shouting." She accused, her voice still perfectly calm. Kagome knew she was over-reacting, but this jerk never asked, he just commanded. He never said thank you, he just rudely shunned her away. Quite frankly, she was sick of it.  
Inu Yasha's mouth was slightly open and his eyes bulged in disbelief, he stared quite unblinkingly. "W-WHAT?!" He spluttered, clenching his fists and drawing himself to as full a height as possible. This didn't make much difference, as he was still sitting on Kagome's bed. "Don't you get it? Our friends are in danger and I just assumed that you would want to help me…to help them!" He snorted and crossed his arms across his chest, looking at her cajolingly through lidded eyes. "Buu-uut, I suppose I assumed wrong," he said, giving her a searching look. "You don't care about Sango, Miroku, Kirara or Shippo." He stated, grinning slightly at her discomfort.  
"O-Of course I do! I-I-I just…I'm just tired, is all. Stressed is more the word. Actually." She said faintly, self-consciously scratching her right arm. She stopped when Inu Yasha uttered a gasp and stood up, strode over to her and gently grasped her arm with a clawed hand. He examined it critically, and was silent for a long time.  
She was very much surprised, and she stared at Inu Yasha like he was some sort of rabid dog (no pun intended). He glanced back at her with a worried look, and it soon dawned on her why when she let her gaze slide down to focus on her arm.  
"The bruises." She muttered quietly, remembering how she had acquired them in the first place.  
"Who did this to you?!" Inu Yasha said, his voice unusually high. "I'll rip 'em to shreds!" And he meant it, too. No one was allowed to touch Kagome, especially when he wasn't around to beat them up!  
Kagome tittered nervously and wrenched her arm away from him. "It's nothing, I was just playing dodge ball... It's when people throw balls at you and you have to not let them hit you." She added, after seeing the questioning look on Inu Yasha's face. "It's sort of fun, but I wasn't paying attention... And this girl…Krista, I think her name was, got me twice." She explained. Kagome suddenly felt a certain fondness towards the girl, as the bruises she had inflicted seemed to be resolving Inu Yasha's issues, as well as her own.  
Inu Yasha didn't know quite how to react to this, but he lunged for her arm again, wanting to confirm that she was all right. How could she have fun getting hurt? And why wasn't she paying attention? He shook his head, bewildered, deciding this day and age was just too strange for his liking.  
"Well, uh, be careful next time, okay? Or just don't play it at all." He said, and she nodded solemnly. "I mean, it's not like I care or nothing." He added, pursing his lips and avoiding her eyes. Whoever this 'Krista' girl was, she would pay for hurting Kagome, of that he would make sure.  
'There he goes, masking his feelings again…' Kagome thought, rolling her eyes. She was soon, however, unbearably aware that Inu Yasha had not let go of her arm, a fact he seemed to realize at exactly the same time as she did. He released his gentle grip hurriedly, a mortified grimace spreading across his flushed face. Mumbling something about meeting her down near the well, he rushed down the stairs in what seemed like less than a millisecond later.  
Kagome was left all alone in her room, and feeling more that a little flustered herself. He had looked at her then like she was a disgusting slug or something, it was befitting as now she felt like one. This was simply just not her day!  
Sighing heavily for what seemed like the millionth time that day, her head full to bursting with conflicting thoughts, she scooped up the rest of her things and stuffed them unceremoniously into her backpack. Her knees buckled slightly under the sheer weight of her burden, as she hoisted the heavy backpack onto her shoulders.  
She in turn thundered down the stairs, her hair bouncing wildly with every step she took, and skidded to a halt on the carpet near the front door. Kagome wondered whether she had imagined it, but she was almost positive she had just heard the roar of a scooter pulling up outside her family shrine gates.

Inu Yasha stood stock still, his keen sense of smell picking up a strange, if rather foul smell. "What is that?" he spat, covering his nose with his red sleeve. "It smells kinda like those loud metal things that people ride in, but different."  
He crept silently up to the hallway window, and crouched down in front of it, not wanting to be seen by whoever was out there. Kagome had told him many times about the reaction he would receive if anyone from her time ever saw him, and she had instructed him that he was only allowed to go out with something covering his ears. Even so, he felt curious enough to chance a quick glance through the window.  
Inu Yasha's amber eyes widened slightly as he spotted a pale girl who was dressed exactly like Kagome (although her uniform looked somewhat newer and tidier than Kagome's), and he confirmed he was right on his hunch about the moving metal things. Well, more like on from what he could see, as the girl appeared to be sitting on a loud version of the weird things Kagome called 'bicycles'.  
"Inu Yasha! Get away from the window now!" said Kagome in a hushed voice. She dropped her backpack hurriedly next to Inu Yasha, and pushed him to the ground, away from the window. "Do you want her to see you?"  
Inu Yasha looked surprised to find himself suddenly on the floor, and he glared up at Kagome who was now looking out the very same window she had just pushed him away from. She placed both her hands upon the window still and crouched down low to the ground, so that if that girl was to look in the direction of the window she could duck quickly.  
"Hey, what's the big deal? It's not like she's going to come in here!" he growled, crossing his arms and legs definitely.  
Kagome uttered a rather loud gasp and pushed herself away from the window, getting to her feet as she did so. "I-It's that new girl! The one that-" Kagome stopped mid-sentence and self-consciously touched her right arm, shooting a slightly nervous glance in InuYasha's direction. She didn't want him to know that this was the very same girl who had given her the bruises. She knew by now how over-protective he could be when it came to things like this.  
"The one that…What?" said InuYasha, a hint of suspicion creeping into his voice. His eyes darted to Kagome's arm, and, putting two and two together, they narrowed dangerously into mere slits.  
Kagome flinched at his expression, and was mentally kicking herself for assuming InuYasha to be so beef-headed. She decided to get out of there, fast, so as not to give him time to grow angry.  
"What am I doing, hiding here like this? I should go out there and greet her, but you stay here, okay?" she whispered, stressing the last word. She rushed to the door and flung it open, not giving him the time to answer. He responded by throwing Kagome a look of pure loathing, but stayed where he was. 'Like a good dog.' Kagome thought, throwing him a brief smile before she closed the door behind her. Her chest fell as she let out a sigh of relief. She hadn't even realized that she had been holding it in.  
"Hiya, Kagome!" called the brown-haired girl, putting the scooter's seat down. Kagome let out a startled 'eep!' and her eyes snapped open, noticing the girl was making her way to the front door. Her scooter was parked precariously on the curb, and it wobbled dangerously off-balance.  
"Oh, hi!" Kagome said, her voice noticeably higher than usual. She stopped talking, and inhaled once, closing her eyes briefly. 'Okay, calm down, Kagome!' she told herself, taking a quick step forward. She motioned to the girl, silently requesting that she join her on the front step. "Kirsty, right?" Kagome asked, pretending that she didn't know. She had hoped that Krista wouldn't recognize her from the disastrous P.E class that morning.  
"It's Krista, actually" she corrected her. "You don't…remember me?"  
"Ummm…NO!" Kagome shouted, making a wild hand gesture in the direction of a nearby window. Krista let out a frightened squeak as she jumped back, and clasped her hands against her chest, almost crushing the beautiful tulips in her fright. What was with this chick, did she have a mental problem as well? She really must be as ill as Hojou had said!  
Kagome quickly realized Krista's discomfort and abruptly stopped making her wild hand motions. She turned deftly back to Krista, an apologetic look etched on her face. Inu Yasha had crept nearer to the window, and had almost been spotted by her guest. Kagome had tried her best to signal InuYasha to stay away, but she could still see him creeping nearer and nearer to the front door, his eyes glimmering murderously.  
Kagome quickly rearranged her face and carried on talking, as if nothing had happened to interrupt their pleasant little chat. "Um, I mean, why should I know you?" Kagome asked, putting on a false air of innocence.  
Krista tittered and cocked her head onto one side, her long tendrils of hair annoying her again. "Well, I was the one who hurt you with those dodge balls this morning in Phys Ed. I gave you those…" She trailed off, her eyes flicking from Kagome's face to her right arm. Kagome gently placed her left hand on top of her bruises, trying to hide her shameful condition. "Oh, these little things?"  
"Yeah, those." Krista replied, clearing her throat. "I thought you would remember me. I did hurt you pretty bad, judging by the way you cried afterwards." A nervous look was still visible in her bright green eyes, but they also held a touch of amusement. Kagome raised an eyebrow but said nothing; she hadn't been hurt that badly, and she hadn't cried...much. Inside the house, InuYasha clenched his fists and started to shake with fury. So, she had been hurt badly, he knew it! And that pale wench had made Kagome cry!  
Krista blinked once and smoothed down imaginary wrinkles on her school skirt, growing uncomfortable with the prolonged silence. 'I shouldn't have mentioned that', she thought. She was well aware that she had just made a serious social blunder, why was it always so difficult for her to say the right thing? 'Maybe this is why it's so hard for me to make friends…' She thought, a lump beginning to form in her throat.  
"Err, so anyways, I just came here to apolo-" She stopped talking in mid-sentence, hearing a low rumble coming from the other side of the door. It sounded kind of like…Growling, but different. It started low, then grew and grew into a vicious snarl.  
"What is THAT?" She screamed, her body shaking slightly as she took a few hurried steps backwards.  
Kagome looked mortified, and her hands flew to her mouth. "That's, uh, my dog!" She said, throwing her weight against the door and bracing herself against it. Krista could plainly see that she was attempting to keep something either very large or very strong inside, as whatever was making that horrible noise was pushing itself against the door too. And it was putting up quite a fight. "SIT BOY!" Kagome screeched, stepping away from the door.  
Inside the house, the necklace around Inu Yasha's neck started glowing with an eerie purple light. Inu Yasha just had time to say "What th-?" before performing a huge face-plant behind the door. He drove into the carpet face first, cracking a floorboard as he did so. Both Kagome and Krista could feel a large shockwave shake the very ground they were standing on. He uttered a pathetic moan as he lay there. Immobile, but twitching ever so slightly.  
"H-HOW BIG IS YOUR DOG?!" Screamed Krista, her eyes wide, and the tulips shaking as her body did.  
"Umm pretty big, you know, about yei high" Kagome said, vaguely indicating the height of a smallish cow. She looked uncomfortable upon seeing the horrified eyes of her companion, and rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment. Now what would this girl think of her?! What would she tell everyone at school tomorrow?  
"He's not that vicious, I mean, he's obedient to say the least." She said, attempting to joke.  
"Perhaps…I'd better go." Said Krista, nervously eyeing the door. She could see the shadow of the 'dog' starting to move behind the tinted window of the door, and she didn't want to wait around to see what kind of beast Kagome had holed up inside her house. "But are you going to come to school tomorrow?"

"Muuurph, crap…" Muttered the Hanyou, his knees quaking as he tried his best to get up. Kagome screeched and yelled the command again, resulting in an even bigger impact as he crashed through the floorboards. Krista was almost beside herself with fear, she had never liked dogs, but this was getting ridiculous! So, not waiting for an answer, she ran to her scooter as fast as her legs would carry her, and sped off, not even bothering to put her helmet on. Her ponytail and blonde bangs whipped out behind her as she chanced a sceptical glace over her shoulder at the now shocked Kagome, who had not moved an inch.  
Revving her scooter once again, she turned her head back to the road. "Weird." She muttered, her hand still grasping the wilting tulips. Was it just her imagination, or could Kagome's dog talk?

...

**Okay, first chapter finished! CONGRATULATIONS if you read the whole thing, I value your constructive criticism! **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Look, Kagome, that pale wench was asking for it! All I wanted to do was hurt her a little. Ya know, teach her a lesson or two? It's not like I would've killed her or nuthin… "

Kagome turned sharply and glared at him, sensing a lie. She tensed her body and took a deep breath in, but decided against resorting to more violence. She continued striding towards the Bone Eater's Well, disgruntled Hanyou in tow, trying her best to keep her anger in check.

'The nerve of him!' she thought, tightening her grip on her backpack. 'He made me look like an absolute psycho in front of a girl who already thinks I'm beyond strange. What is she gonna tell the other people at school now?!'

However, as mad as she was, she wasn't about to have another fall-out with InuYasha. They had a job to do, Miroku and the others needed her help finding the jewel shard in Oetsu-Ketsueki! Not to mention Sango could probably do with Kagome's medicinal expertise to tend to her wounds.

InuYasha walked solemnly behind Kagome, arms crossed and bottom lip stuck out in a defiant pout. What had he done that was so wrong anyway? That witch had deserved what was coming to her, and he was annoyed that Kagome didn't see things his way. Not to mention that sit had been particularly vicious…

They had just arrived at the entrance to the well, when InuYasha suddenly detected a familiar smell. He covered his nose yet again with his sleeve, and swivelled his ears towards the shrine gates. It was that Krista girl again, he was sure of it! 'I'll get her this time.' He thought, smiling to himself maliciously. He was about to dart out the entrance door, when he felt two piercing brown eyes cut through him. Freezing immediately, he had the distinct feeling that Kagome was watching him, ready to use the horrid 'sit!' command if he so much as looked at that door. He gulped and looked nervously down at his fang necklace. It was beginning to shake violently, as if in anticipation. The faintest of purple light was surrounding the smooth beads, and he thought he knew why…His next movements better be chosen carefully. Better play it safe, and take care of the girl later.

Much to Kagome's surprise, InuYasha turned to her and slung his arm casually around her waist. "Lets go," he said, breezily. "The others are waiting." Then, cool as a cucumber, he led her to the well and tightened his grip on her in readiness. Kagome just had time to twine her own arm around his shoulder as he jumped into the dark entrance with her. A watery, blue light swallowed the two figures, carrying them to a time far into the past that they both knew so well.

Krista shivered a little when she saw the giant hole in the Higurashi's home. It was both wider and taller than she was, had a suspiciously human-shaped outline and went all the way through to the dirt! Mrs. Higurashi couldn't help feeling sorry for the girl; this was a regular occurrence in the Higurashi household, but Kagome's school friend was obviously very unused to such happenings.

"Poor dear…Krista, was it?"

Krista inhaled quickly and looked up at Mrs. Higurashi, her eyes wide and scared. "Y-Yes ma'am?"

"Uh, I'm sure Kagome would love to receive these flowers, thank you for coming back to give them to her! They're absolutely lovely!…" She chirruped, leaning forward to inhale the sweet aroma of the tulips.

Krista chuckled nervously at the comment. Kagome's mum was nice, she decided. She was obviously trying to help her calm down, even going so far as to compliment Houjo's now wilted, crushed and very sickly-looking tulips. 'Pretty sad bunch, really.' Krista thought. 'Even so, Kagome's lucky to have such a nice guy worried about her. I'm just the delivery girl!'

"Here, take this vase dear, you can put them in Kagome's room if you'd like!" Said Mrs. Higurashi, placing a beautiful crystal vase into her arms. She walked Krista to Kagome's room and smiled reassuringly, indicating with her hand that she could take as much time as she wanted in there.

"Thanks ma'am, I won't be too long, but I wanna make these flowers look at least a little bit presentable for when she gets back from the hospital!"

Mrs. Higurashi nodded and gave her an almost amused smile, a quick wink, and closed the door behind her. Krista could hear her footsteps fade as she went down the stairs, and she blinked stupidly at the door for a few moments.

'Gee, Kagome's mum sure doesn't seem too worried about Kagome's illness...Even so, she sure is trusting, leaving me in her daughters room like this.' She moved slowly throughout the room, placing the vase with the flowers on a dresser as she looked around. 'I mean, I could take anything, and she wouldn't even know…' She stopped her train of thought right there, but even so her eyes rested upon something shiny in a tiny glass bottle. She stepped closer, almost cautiously, and gasped as she felt her heartbeat quicken, pounding against her chest. Gazing in wonder at the bottle, she picked it up and tipped the contents into the palm of her hand. Something stirred inside of her as soon as they made contact with her skin. It felt white and hot, and it bubbled up inside her, filling every limb and corner of her body with surges of raw control. She felt suddenly alive and…It was weird, almost…Powerful. Never had she felt like this in her life, as though she could do anything with next to no effort. Her body felt strong yet numb, weak yet alive with feeling, all at the same time. She shivered, not with fear, but with excitement and pleasure. Whatever this feeling was, she liked it, though she wasn't quite sure what had caused it. When she finally looked at the two small objects resting in her palm, she was even more mesmerised by their pure beauty. They were light purple in colour, and shimmered ever so slightly, the lights reflecting into the mirror and on the walls, creating a kind of neat 'disco' effect. Little dots of light danced across every surface when she rolled one between her forefinger and thumb. She noted her palms were slightly sweaty, and her arms trembled with anticipation. In all her self-awareness, she still noticed something very strange.

"That's odd," she said. "There's no light in here, why are these jewels glowing like that?" But before she could begin to ponder this further, she heard a crash followed by a piercing shriek coming from downstairs. "Krista…Krista! Come quick!" Cried Kagome's mum, and then there were more loud noises. A kind of buzzing, but nothing like she had ever heard before. Another person whom she thought sounded like an old man, said; "Stand back!" and there were more sounds, like gusts of wind. What sounded like the cracking of lightning ringed in her newly sensitive ears as blue light flashed through the entire house.

Her knees shook, her body seemed to be doing a lot of that lately! But she was no coward. Well…At least, not when someone had cried for her help like that! At least, not when someone needed her! At least…Not when she was feeling this invincible. Krista clenched both her fists; quite forgetting in the heat of the moment what she had in her hand, and sprinted down the stairs. "I'm coming, ma'am!" She screamed.

What she was about to see would change her life forever, though no one could have quite guessed how.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Krista froze when she reached the bottom of the stairs and clutched at her face in horror, her fingernails digging into the white skin.

Kagome's sweet mother was sprawled out in a heap underneath a broken door, and a small trickle of blood crept silently down her left arm. Krista could see she had been thrown against the door with considerable force, and that her arm was probably broken too. The older woman moaned and shifted a little but was otherwise silent, and that scared Krista more than if she had made no noise at all. She shook her head violently, trying to break herself out of this heart-wrenching fear.

She was just about to rush forward to check on Mrs. Higurashi when another frantic scream reached her ears. With catlike reflexes; Krista crouched low to the ground and sprang to the other side of the room, and in one fluid motion she swung herself up onto the window-still and crouched there. Just in time, too, as something large crashed through the wall right where she had just been standing. Whatever it was, it narrowly missed landing on top of the unconscious woman Krista hadn't had time to grab. Krista quickly covered her mouth with her sleeve as she squinted through the thick dust and debris still falling from the bulky form. She heard that scream again as she realised the 'thing' had a firm grip on Kagome's kid brother, he was thrashing about madly, attempting to escape its clutches. Krista gasped audibly as the dust cleared, revealing the 'thing' for what it truly was.

A giant praying mantis.

It's antennae quivered for a moment, and it turned its beady eyes towards Krista whom had begun to regret her rash decision. She gulped and slid down off the window-still, bending her knees in preparation for any quick movement she may need to make. The young girl had no idea what was happening, why there was a giant bug in the Higurashi's entranceway, but she didn't care at the moment. All she cared about was getting these people away from the freak.

The mantis made an odd clicking sound with its mouth and turned to face it's opponent. It had still not let go of Kagome's brother and this worried Krista a little, she just hoped there was some way to get him away from the mantis before it was too late. He looked at her with wide, scared eyes and made pointing motions with his hands towards a cabinet next to her. His face had turned a light purple and he could not talk due to the death grip around his chest, but he made it as obvious as he could that Krista should open the drawer. Krista's eyes darted towards it, and she reached out a hand, never for one millisecond letting down her guard. The mantis, however, had other ideas and lifted it's free giant foreleg in a menacing manner. Krista just had time to grab the entire drawer and roll to the side before the leg stabbed right through the floor, splitting the wood and getting caught. Sota tumbled through the gap and Krista could hear him gasping for breath as he stumbled along in the dark, feeling his way along until he reached outside. The mantis hissed and used its other foreleg to crash through the rest of the floor, and Krista could see the person-shaped hole from earlier cave in as well. She would only have a few seconds until the mantis could get out, and, remembering the drawer in her hand she looked inside for the first time.

It was a sword…No, wait, what was the Japanese word again? Oh that's right, a katana, or samurai sword. It was absolutely beautiful. The handle had an intricate woven pattern in the shape of small diamonds, blue and red overlapping each other in a pleasing way. The gleaming hilt was a light silver colour and so was the blade, when she unsheathed it from its black polished container. It glinted innocently in the fading light, and she gripped the handle steadily with two hands, although finding it quite heavy.

She had to do this, if not for the Higurashi family, then at least for herself. She'd always been the one to quite happily sit back and watch other people do all the work, well, not this time. This time, she'd be the one everyone would watch.

The mantis thrashed violently, as a small bit of paper with strange markings was slapped onto its thorax. An old man whooped in victory and dashed around the mantis, slapping more onto its legs and belly. Suddenly the mantis screeched and lashed out with both fore legs, sending the old man tumbling across the ground and knocking Krista over as he crashed into her leg. He grumbled as she helped him up, quickly pulling him out of the way when the mantis struck again.

"Who are you, old man?!" She yelled, still pulling him out of harms way.

"I'm Kagome's Grandpa, but there's no time for pleasantries!" he replied, panting heavily as he barely dodged the venomous liquid now spewing from the monster's mouth. "I need you to do one thing with that sword! Do you see that seal, the one glowing purple?"

Krista gave the mantis a once over before spotting the one he'd mentioned, glowing, but also smoking slightly, located on its back. She nodded and screamed a warning at him as a fleck of venom seared his beard.

"What do you need me to do? Stab it there?"

He nodded and then motioned towards an old building a short walk away from the house.

"After you do that, please go and hide in the well so I can exorcise this wretched demon! It will be after you, and that's the one place it won't be able to follow you."

Krista nodded curtly, a serious expression washing over her face. The mantis was almost beside itself with pain as the seal began to burn a hole through its tough exoskeleton. It was unable to reach behind itself and remove it, and it began throwing itself ruthlessly against pillars and trees, trying in some way to dislodge it. It was distracted, now was her chance. Careful to avoid the flailing legs, she scrambled as swiftly as she could up a small tree, and waited for it to come closer. Her breathing had become ragged and shallow as she poised the katana above her head, ready to strike. Venom came in waves, eating through the tree in a matter of seconds. The mantis was directly below her, she knew she could do this.

She could do this.

Screaming at the top of her lungs, her vocal chords twisted in a strangled battle cry, she leapt from the tree onto the overgrown bug's back, plunging in the steel blade with all the strength she could muster. The ear splitting shriek that the mantis emitted was the most dreadful sound she had ever heard, and she rolled off its back with her eyes screwed shut and hands clamped firmly over her ears. She lay in the foetal position and screamed with it, a horrible keening wail. Her eardrums felt like they would burst at any moment. Then, she felt hot, putrid breath on her face and she willed herself to open her eyes.

The praying mantis was scrambling towards her, blood pouring in great gushes out of its open wound. It had the devil's look now, eyes glowing red, and drooling profusely. It was apparent it would like nothing better than to taste the sweet tang of revenge. Namely, devour Krista.

"What are you doing, girl! Run for it!" she heard the old man shout, and she didn't need to be told twice. She jumped to her feet and picked up the sword, wrinkling her nose at the smell of blood splattered all over the blade. That's funny, she never really noticed blood having such a distinctive and strong odour before, and it was quite an overpowering stench. Pushing this thought aside, she bounded for the shrine, locking the door behind her and placing a shaky hand on the rim of the giant well. She stared warily into the murky depths and drew in a rattling breath. It was so pitch black inside, she couldn't even see the bottom, and that worried her a lot. It would be a bit of a leap of faith if she jumped in without thinking. She hated the dark, she knew it was a bit of a babyish fear but it made her feel so alone and at the mercy of the night. She often had trouble getting to sleep and would stay up to the early hours of the morning, avoiding the inevitable for as long as possible. Even now, she still slept with the hall light on in her house.

"I don't…really need to go down there, do I?" She said aloud. "Maybe it'd be best to test how deep it is first?"

Deciding it'd be a good idea, she held the sword above the gaping hole and let it drop. She closed her eyes and listened for the reassuringly loud thunk of metal on earth.

It never came.

What?

How could that be? Don't tell me this thing is bottomless.

She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself, squeezing her arms in a reassuring manner. It wasn't possible, of course. Maybe the bottom was just filled with leaves that cushioned the fall or something? Water, even.

She didn't have time to ponder it further, because outside the shrine the mantis was fast approaching, still determined to feel the warm blood of its foe run down its throat. Grandpa was chanting in a monotone, his hands clasped together in a strange hand gesture as he rocked back and forth on his feet. One by one the seals covering the mantis's body erupted into flames, each making it writhe around in distress as numerous wounds appeared everywhere. It became weaker and weaker, slower and slower from loss of blood, until it finally collapsed, but not where Grandpa had intended. Sota cried out in shock as the six-legged demon toppled right into the shrine. The roof caved in and the walls strained with the extra weight, finally giving out after the venom running from the mantis's agape mouth ate through the thick wood. It lay quite still, its eyes lifeless, and silent, as was the Higurashi family. Mrs. Higurashi fell to her knees, shocked, and Sota was weeping uncontrollably. She clutched her arm in pain and shook her head, not quite believing it. Just a few minutes ago she had been socialising with this girl, and now…Well, the chances were slim that she had survived a ten tonne mantis and a building fall right on top of her.

"Mama, she saved my life…Mama…" her son sobbed, burying his face into her bosom. She shushed and stroked his hair comfortingly as she blinked back tears of her own. "I know, honey, I know."

Grandpa stood still, no emotion was apparent on his wrinkled face. He replayed the scene, over and over in his head. If he had been a few seconds faster…Just a few seconds. How was he going to explain this to her parents? They'd only moved here about a term ago, what a welcoming to Japan. She was their youngest, and only daughter, he knew.  
"Grandpa?" Sota mumbled, his body still trembling with fright.

"What have we done?"


End file.
